Sanni Hakala was team captain and an important cog in HV71’s women’s elite team. The 26-year-old was seriously injured in the match against Djurgården on 24 November last year when, after a melee, she went headfirst into the goal cage.
Her ice hockey career is over and she herself has written on social media that it could be a life in a wheelchair for her.
In the clip above, you can hear teammate Mira Jungåker talk about Sanni Hakala’s importance to the team and that they are now playing for her in the qualifiers.
Ups and downs during the season
During the season, HV71 alternated good efforts with worse and when the series was summed up, the team was second to last with only AIK behind in the table.
– We shouldn’t have ended up here, I think we are better than that, says center Hilda Svensson.
Now awaits a tough qualifier against Södertälje in the best of three games. The first match is played away on Thursday and on Sunday there is a match in Husqvarna garden. Should a third and directly decisive match be needed, it will be played at home in Jönköping on Monday.
In the clip you will also hear why HV71 chose Södertälje as an opponent instead of Skellefteå.
